Background
Asserate, Prince Asfa-Wossen was born on October 31, 1948 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Son of Prince Ras Asserate Kassa and Princess Zuriash-Work Gabre-Igziabher.
Asserate, Prince Asfa-Wossen was born on October 31, 1948 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Son of Prince Ras Asserate Kassa and Princess Zuriash-Work Gabre-Igziabher.
Dr Asfa-Wossen went to the German school in Addis Abeba, where he received his “Abitur”, before studying law, economics and history in the University of Tübingen and the Magdalene College, Cambridge. In 1978, he was awarded a Ph.D. with honors in Ethiopian history at the University of Frankfurt am Main.
In 1974 the Derg takeover in Ethiopia made it impossible for him to return to the land of his ancestors: His father and sixty other dignitaries of the Imperial Government were executed without a trial and all the members of the Imperial Family were held in kith and kin detention for over a decade by Derg.
Whilst in West Germany Asfa-Wossen Asserate founded the Human Rights Group for Ethiopia called the “Council for Civil Liberties in Ethiopia (CCLE)” and campaigned for the release of all political prisoners and his detained family until the demise of the Mengistu dictatorship. After leaving university he worked as the Press Officer for the Frankfurter Messegesellschaft (1978-1980), and as the Director of the Press and Information Department of the Düsseldorf Trade Fair and as a freelance journalist (1980-1983). In 1981 he became a German citizen.
Since 1983 he has been working as a Consultant for African and Middle Eastern Affairs, advising middle-sized German companies in respect to their export promotion to these countries.
As a political analyst he has written a considerable number of articles and essays in German daily newspapers and learned publications. In 1994 he founded Orbis Aethiopicus, the Society for the Preservation and Promotion of Ethiopian Culture, that holds scientific congresses with a focus on Ethiopian culture, history and archeology and places great endeavor to pass on Ethiopia's ancient cultural heritage to the new generation.
As a political analyst he has written a considerable number of articles and essays in German daily newspapers and learned publications. In 1994 he founded Orbis Aethiopicus, the Society for the Preservation and Promotion of Ethiopian Culture, that holds scientific congresses with a focus on Ethiopian culture, history and archeology and places great endeavor to pass on Ethiopia's ancient cultural heritage to the new generation.
Chairman board of patrons Orbis Aethiopicus Society for the Preservation and Promotion of Ethiopian Culture. Member Council for Civil Liberties in Ethiopia (chairman since 1974), International Children's Aid and Research Endowment (vice chairman since 1982), Frobenius Institute for Social Anthropology, German Journalists Federation, German Djibouti Association (vice chairman since 1999).
